December 26 – Until recently, the closest kosher restaurants to Santa Fe were hundreds of miles away in Denver.
That changed a few weeks ago with the opening of Manhattan Deli, a little slice of New York City in the mid-Southwest and a unique addition to the city’s vibrant food scene.
The deli became possible after a major renovation, largely completed in 2023, of the Jewish Center building at 230 W. Manhattan Ave. The renovation included the creation of a 1,200-square-foot industrial kitchen where kosher food could be prepared – both for in-house events and ultimately a public kosher deli.
The deli will only be open for limited hours on Wednesday and Thursday, but Rabbi Berel Levertov said the plan is for the deli to eventually be open seven days a week.
“It was always my dream to have a deli,” Levertov said. Besides being “a big part of Judaism,” Levertov said food is a great way to bring people together, and that’s what he hopes the deli will accomplish.
With the deli, Levertov said the Jewish Center hopes to cater to people who already keep kosher and make it easier for people in the Jewish community who might be thinking about getting started, along with serving tourists who keep kosher. He also hopes it will appeal to Santa Feans originally from the East Coast and hungry for a taste of home.
Kosher dietary guidelines include specific rules for how animals are slaughtered and the way their meat is prepared, and also prohibit mixing meat and dairy products. For this reason, the deli’s offering does not contain dairy products or uses a dairy substitute.
“We have lox and bagels with cream cheese,” Levertov said, “but the cream cheese is not dairy.”
In addition to bagels and lox, the restaurant has deli classics like pastrami on rye, corned beef and reuben sandwiches, as well as schnitzel, falafel, chicken matzoh ball soup, latkes and other dishes.
Last Wednesday the restaurant was buzzing with activity.
“It’s all very tasty,” said Jacob Birdsong as he enjoyed a pastrami sandwich. A Jewish student at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, Birdsong, said he might go kosher if he no longer participates in the school meal plan.
“I’m glad it’s here,” he said of the deli.
Friends Stephen Hochberg and Dion Silva caught up over lunch. Hochberg, who has been involved with the Jewish Center since moving to Santa Fe in 2007, invited Silva.
“This is my first time at a kosher restaurant, and it’s amazing,” said Silva, who said he appreciated the opportunity to learn more about Judaism and kosher food.
Karen Teutsch was at the deli with her mother Maria Mejia. Teutsch said she enjoyed the matzoh ball soup, a comfort food for her.
“You can’t get it anywhere else,” she said.
The two also ate latkes, a fried potato dish traditionally eaten during Hanukkah, which began at sunset on Wednesday. Because they are fried in oil, Teutsch explained, latkes commemorate the miracle of a one day’s supply of oil lasting eight days.
State Sen. Craig Brandt, R-Rio Rancho, stopped by the deli during a trip to Santa Fe. Brandt said he met Levertov after the October 7 attacks last year and has kept in touch since.
“I love it,” he said of the food, adding that he is a big fan of pastrami sandwiches.
Brandt said he is especially pleased to have a new restaurant option within walking distance of the Roundhouse during the legislative session, which begins Jan. 21, and looks forward to taking people there during recess.
“This is a place the lobbyists don’t know about yet,” he said, laughing.
